Chapter Five: The Gathering
Sleetfeather yawned, blinking.
Tonight's the night of the Gathering! She reminded herself, looking around the warriors' den. She was the only one still there. "Better get ready…" Sleetfeather murmured, quickly grooming herself before padding out of the den. The sun was lower in the sky now, about to set. The she-cat saw Whitefury –her mate- chatting with Dovefeather, the deputy. Her jaw tensed, and jealousy shot through her, but she ignored the silver she-cat and sniffed the freshkill pile. Two chipmunks were on the top, with a shrew. Wrinkling her nose, she looked through, before seeing a snow hare laying a few mouse-lengths away.
The silver she-cat glanced around the camp, seeing Pinefeather standing up, shakily. Coldgaze was snoozing beside the red she-car, and Sleetfeather hurried towards the blind elder. "Pinefeather, I have a snow hare here."
A small smile broke across the elder's face, and she gingerly sat down, fixing her dull golden gaze on Sleetfeather. Dipping her head, she laid the hare down in front of the elder. "Coldgaze?" croaked Pinefeather, swinging her head around. Coldgaze blinked, "Oh, Sleetfeather?" he frowned, "I can't see these days. Is that a snow hare?" he coughed.
"Yes. I have to go now." Sleetfeather mewed, looking at Tundrastar sitting on the pile of boulders known as highrock. She walked back to the freshkill pile and choosing a small mouse, settled down in a corner of the camp where the sun's faint rays still hit her. She looked at the elders, and they were eating the hare, quite happily. The grey cat heard soft pawsteps behind her, and craned her neck to see her mate walking towards her, and Dovefeather padding towards highrock, tail lashing.
Whitefury sat next to his mate, silent. "Hello Whitefury." Sleetfeather said calmly. The only indication that she was annoyed was the fact that her tail was twitching quite often. Whitefury simply nodded, and focused his attention towards Tundrastar and Dovefeather. Sleetfeather did the same.
"I have decided who is to come to the Gathering!" yowled Tundrastar, getting to his paws. He was an impressive tom, with broad shoulders and a thick pelt. The leader of FrostClan was brown, white and black, with white being the main color on his pelt.
The Clan was now quiet, waiting to hear who he would say.
"Icelily, Badgerstrike, Hawkeye, Cloudspots, Sleetfeather, Cloverleaf, and Blizzardstorm will come to the Gathering." Tundrastar yowled, pausing for a moment. "All the apprentices will come." At that, he stepped down highrock, after looking at the now dark sky.
Tundrastar padded over to the camp entrance, and sat with his tail curled over his paws, waiting for the patrol.
Sleetfeather stood up, and rubbed her head against Whitefury's neck. The white tom purred.
"Tell me the news when you come back." He said, before padding off to the warriors' den. Sleetfeather nodded, before trotting over to Tundrastar. Everyone else had gathered, including the apprentices. Nodding slightly, the large tom led the Clan out of the camp, and towards the abandoned barn where they met the other Clans.
SwiftClan had arrived first, sitting in the area closest to the bales of hay that stood upright. Shivering slightly, Sleetfeather fluffed up her fur as a cold gust of wind blew into the barn. Tundrastar nodded at Sandstar, before taking his place on another roll of hay a few mouse-lengths away.
Snowberry sat with Lilypaw on a separate stack of hay, a piece of wood beside them. Dovefeather sat at the base of the pile of hay where Tundrastar and Sandstar were, next to her was Berrywing. The two were talking. Gorsestripe and his apprentice had used the wooden shaft to climb onto one of the beams supporting the old barn, barely visible unless you looked up.
FrostClan sat next to SwiftClan. Moonlight filtered in through the few large gaps in the ceiling. Sleetfeather inhaled the musty air, purring as Cloverleaf sneezed, rubbing her nose with a black paw. Her friend was nearly invisible in the dark, the hay surrounding her giving her away.
"I hate hay." Cloverleaf muttered, shaking her sleek black pelt, scattering the stalks of hay onto the wooden floor.
Sleetfeather nodded in agreement, before seeing cat-like shapes in the darkness outside of the barn. She nudged Cloverleaf, "Another Clan." She hissed quietly. Cloverleaf's attention fixed on the cats.
A slender black she-cat was in the lead. "That's MistClan then. That's definitely not Thornstar." The she-cat purred. Sleetfeather smiled, before focusing her attention on MistClan. The Clan seemed well-fed; a few warriors looking plump! "How?!" Cloverleaf voiced Sleetfeather's thoughts.
"Only StarClan knows." Sleetfeather whispered back, "Well now if we have a fight we can just roll them into the river." She joked, clamping her jaws shut as a MistClan warrior glared at her. Cloverleaf barely stifled a purr.
MistClan sat next to FrostClan, Petalstar on the highest bale of hay, in the back. Tigerlily and Dragonmist were next to Snowberry.
As everyone got settled, MapleClan arrived. Murmurs could be heard as the Clan hurried in, led by Thornstar. MapleClan didn't seem to be in great condition, a few warriors limping or showing torn claws. They hurried to their spots, Thornstar leaping onto his hay bale.
"We may begin!" Petalstar's high voice rang about the barn, as the she-cat stepped forward. Hawkpaw whispered something to Cedarpaw, near Sleetfeather. "Shush!" hissed Badgerstrike, glaring sharply at the SwiftClan apprentices.
Petalstar looked around the barn, "MistClan has been preparing for leaf-bare, and prey is plentiful. "Mossberry will be expecting kits!" she inclined her head towards the black and white she-cat, who leaned against her mate, licking her chest fur.
Sleetfeather yowled in congratulations, along with the other Clans. Petalstar glanced at Tundrastar, who took the MistClan leader's place. "FrostClan has been doing well as well," Tundrastar announced, taking a deep breath before continuing, "We have two new apprentices; Redpaw and Blossompaw!"
The other Clans congratulated FrostClan, and the apprentices shrank down, leaning into their mother, Cloverleaf. Sleetfeather purred to the black she-cat, whose green eyes shone with pride.
Tundrastar backed away, Thornstar leaping forward, scattering some hay onto the cats sitting in the front. Yowls of indignation rose into the musty air.
"Listen to what Thornstar has to say!" yowled Sandstar, ears flattened against her skull. She seemed rather impatient.
Thornstar nodded to her, before facing the Clans. "We have encountered twolegs, but we have dealt with them." His claws flexed, his eyes glistening before his face was expressionless again.
"We have welcomed a kit to the Clan, Swiftkit! Her mother is Bluetail, her father Waspfire." His gaze flickered to the deputy, who was accepting the praise, dipping his head to various cats. Thornstar padded back to his spot, Sandstar nodding at the tabby tom and taking her place.
"We have a new medicine cat apprentice, Clearpaw!" Sandstar yowled. Sleetfeather found Gorsestripe, and her eyes widened as her gaze fixed on the medicine cat apprentice. She was blind. Yowls were drowned out as everyone fixed their gaze on the apprentice, and Gorsestripe murmured into Clearpaw's white ears.
Clearpaw fixed her blind blue gaze in the direction of the crowd. "Something wrong?" she asked, white pelt bristling. Ignore the apprentice! Sleetfeather ducked her head. Sandstar continued, her tone harsher.
The golden she-cat opened her mouth, "This Gathering is over!" the clouds had covered the moon, and Sleetfeather glanced at the sky. Tundrastar was preparing to go, but Thornstar shoved his way through the cats. "MapleClan back to camp!" he yowled, leaping out of the barn. MapleClan hurried behind the sleek brown tom.
Tundrastar didn't look happy, but he flicked his tail and leapt off his hay bale, leading FrostClan out of the Gathering place. Sleetfeather let out a sigh, and followed, exhausted.
